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On Monday the government presented what it hopes is the final draft of crucial legislation that has been in progress for a decade – the Czech Republic’s new Civil Code, the collection of laws that govern all aspects of private law. The aim has been to update the original, which comes from 1964, and to unify the many laws that have since then become parts of other legal codices like the Labour Code, acts on families and marriage, residential ownership, economic relations and more.

Restoration work has begun on the late František Vláčil’s 1967 film masterpiece Markéta Lazarová, telling the story of a kidnapping and pure love in the drastic Middle Ages. The B&W epic is being completely transferred using digital technology – with damage to the original picture and sound removed. Earlier I spoke to Vít Komrzý, the head of the post-production firm overseeing the intricate work, which will cost close to one million crowns. I asked him about the importance of the film as well as the need for new audiences to see it in its earlier

Czech police on Sunday confirmed the recent arrest of a Pakistani national suspected of murder and terrorism. Although few details of the case have so far emerged, the fact that it comes hard on the heels of the arrest of eight foreign nationals suspected of assisting the radical Islamic organization Shariat Jamaat of Dagestan has fueled fears that the Czech Republic may be serving as a logistics base for terrorist activities elsewhere in the world.

In the run-up to the 66th anniversary of the end of WWII Czech public television featured a documentary throwing more light on events that have received little publicity in the past – the atrocities committed on German civilians in post-war Czechoslovakia. The subject has been avoided for years, but film director David Vondráček says Czechs need to hear about what happened and face up to events they may not be proud of.

The reigning ice hockey world champions the Czech Republic beat Finland 2-1 in their final preliminary match on Wednesday evening in Slovakia. Milan Michálek and Jaromír Jágr scored for the Czechs, while goalie Ondřej Pavelec only allowed a goal in the dying seconds. The team has shown its strength, finished first in Group D without losing any points and needs only one more win to guarantee a spot in the first sudden death round, the quarterfinals.

A now famous appeal broadcast from the Czech Radio building on May 5, 1945, sparked the Prague Uprising. After hearing it on the air, thousands of people took to the streets to fight the Nazi oppressors. On Thursday, several events were held to mark the 66th anniversary of the start of the Prague Uprising, including a ceremony in front of the Czech Radio building.

On Tuesday the Anifilm festival got underway in the picturesque south Bohemian town of Třeboň, offering both adults and children some of the very best in animated cinema. Last year Anifilm picked up were the earlier AniFest left off, and this year offers offer 200 shorter length as well as longer films for viewers. Earlier Jan Velinger spoke to the festival’s director Aida Abbas and asked her about the opening day:

Police in the Czech Republic have uncovered the first ever case of an international terrorist network operating within the country. It has now been reported that eight foreigners from the radical Islamic organisation Shariat Jamaat of Dagestan, were arrested in April from sites around Bohemia, after a three-year investigation for proof of their complicity in terrorism in the North Caucuses region. The news is the first evidence of a long-held fear that the Czech Republic may be an apt strategic location for terrorist cells. Christian Falvey has

The killing of Osama Bin Laden by US special forces has evoked widespread relief in the democratic world, but it has also left many questions unanswered – for instance how significant a victory is Bin Laden’s death in the fight against terrorism and how strong is Al Qaeda without him. Radio Prague spoke to Czech security expert Andor Šandor to get his view on the matter.

If you’d stopped a Czech citizen on the street twenty years ago and told him he was free to live and work in Austria or Germany, he would have looked at you in amazement. But on May 1st, that’s exactly what happened - the two countries lifted their final restrictions on Czech workers - and what’s truly amazing is that it’s happened with an almost total absence of fanfare, or even coverage in the media. Equally amazing, perhaps, is that hardly any Czechs will take advantage of it.